The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-22
| |.

The politicians are returning to town from
Albany and Washington, and the cafes and
barroonls are crowded at all hours of the
day and night by little groups of emphatic
takers. The emphasis of the average poll
tician is his distinguishing characteristic.
Theatrical men, when they get into dis
cussion in a public place are apt to bang
their fists, wag their heads and pound the
bar up to a certain period, but after that
they fall into plaintive state of mind. and
appeal to their friends for support in their
arguments. Groups of brokers are invaria-
bly, pervaded with a know-it7ail, air, and
their talk is not SO suggestive sls their winks,
gestures and mods. But when Il local Con
gresham, Assemblymano or SelintDi returns
to New York his presence is felt from the
day of his arrival until fHr Into the summer
season. He has whRt the gamblers call "a
dead sinch" on everybody else in all political
take advantageD f Id He wears his new
beaver hat square upon his statesmanlike
head, braces back firmly against the bar,
shakes hands pnofuseiy with everybody who
comes his WaT. and reveals important state
secrets with every breath. This is the COM
moner type Of the local stateman. There
ara, Of course, quiet and domestic men who
are transformations in their manners and not
OTerbearing in their talk. But they are
neither picturesque nor interesting. 1t is
THE grandiloquent, flowery, assertive, dom
iinetrfng, emphatic and suave politician
who is surrounded from morning till night
by groups of friends. In one of these groups
in the Hoffman House yesterday We're e. s.
Stokes, Col. Tom Ochiltree, Z. G. Gilmore,
Harry Miner, Gov Dorsheimer, ex'Gov.
Curtin, of Pennsylvania Henry E. Dixev
and Congressman Tim Campbell, listening
with thorough amusement to local politi-
cal light. 1t was a difficult audience to
amuse, too, for all the men were good talk
ers but they stood in wrapt interest as the
New York politician spoke. At one point
of his address he insisted that the coming
man in Albany or Washington is the one
who will stand in defense of the rights of
corporations and big companies, instead of
the alleged rights of the people. He said
that there had been such hue and cry over
the Broadway investigation, the Pan-Elec-
trio exposure and the Pacific Mail investiga-
ton that what might be called stampede
of terror had set in, and representatives of
the people were actually afraid to vote as
their senses dictated for fear of finding them
selves concerned in a job. He said:
mo oman with grain of sense attempts
to deny now the extraordinary usefulness
and value of the Broadway railroad. If
anybody should try to rip up the tracks and
| remove the road it would result in a riot
from one end of New York to the other
Those big schemes can only be pushed
through by greasing the proper channels,
| for, as soon as you start to promote an en-
terprise legitimately and squarely you are
hampered by thousand drags. In Albany
this winter a body of Philadelphia capital
lists had an experience that illustrates this
They subscribed $5,000,000, and began to
build bridge across the Hudson at Pough-
keepsie. They went about the matter in
good faith, under the impression that, as the
charter had been in existence fifteen years,
there would be no trouble about the bridge
in having an (extension for one year more,
particularly Us the bridge would help all the
middle section of New York State. But
| they had no sooner begun than they became
the prey of the most extraordinary attacks
| from all sides. They decided that they
would fight the thing out on a square issue,
and not use a cent in smoothing things over.
and the result is that they have had about
as bitter fight as / can recall. They finally
came out ahead, but it was big struggle.
| There was scarcely man in Albany who
dared stand up and protest against the at
tack on the vested rights of that company,
and yet everybody knew that the company
was in the right from beginning to end. That
| is WHY, think, that the man who goes to "a
national or State Legislature with the idea
of protecting a big public interest is liable to
create a large and amiable reputation.
BLAKELY HALL.